Traveling is a part of business. If it’s not a meeting with a client, or delivering pitches, it’s a conference or a team building excursion. Business travel can be complicated, time consuming to arrange and expensive if not monitored closely.
Suppose the director of a company needs to travel to see prospective clients: if all the information isn’t given before arranging the trip, then money may be wasted. For example, if it’s only mentioned that the director needs to travel to LA, a return flight to LA would be booked. But the director may have multiple clients he needs to see in different locations. He might need one flight to LA and another from LA to San Francisco before flying back from there. So if a return flight was booked instead of a one way flight, the extra money paid for the return flight would be lost. Giving detailed information about a business trip right from the start will save Human Resources (HR) time and money.
If HR gets multiple travel requests via different channels such as email, telephonically and via in-person requests, they might struggle with tracking the various requests. You want the process to be as smooth and efficient as possible, and for all the information to be clear, concise and in one place.
The solution
The solution lies in the “Travel request” workflow.
By using the “Travel request” workflow, the process of requesting a business trip is made straightforward. You don’t have to wonder about what information you need to provide; all the required information is requested in the very first form, and from there on, emails and links to forms are sent out automatically.
Let’s say an advertising agency needs to present a pitch to a client in another city. The Personal Assistant (PA) is asked to make travel arrangements for the Creative Director and the Producer who will be visiting the client.
He starts the workflow by filling in all of the travel requirements. He indicates that two return flights, a rental car and one night’s accommodation are needed. He also uploads all the required documentation that might be needed, such as copies of their passports and driving licenses.
HR will now automatically be notified of the request by email, and can immediately review the request and gather the necessary information. They check for flight availability for the given dates as well as potential options for hotel accommodation and car hire. If they are able to get availability for the requested dates, they also fill in all estimated costs for the trip and mark the travel request as approved.
The manager will receive a notification to review the travel request based on the reason for the trip, and the estimated costs. He can then decide whether or not HR should proceed to finalize the bookings.
If the manager has approved the travel request, HR proceeds to book all the required transport and accommodation, and then logs all the reference numbers, departure times, etc., into a form in the workflow, and uploads the booking documents.
The PA is notified of the approved trip, and will be able to download all the booking documents from the link provided in the email. He can also print the email containing all the booking information and references. The producer and creative director are now all set to go see their client.
The benefits:
The “Travel request” workflow not only smooths out the normally complicated process of travel arrangements, but also provides HR with a clear online paper trail. This allows them to monitor completed requests, to gain better visibility into why employees are traveling and the costs involved.
If you’d like to ease your travel pains, then you can copy this workflow solution directly into your Kotive account for free.
Travel request
The workflow is automatically copied into your account when you select it. Want to make one or two changes to fit your situation better? No problem!
Written by 
Cornelia de Villiers
Manage tasks from initial travel request through to planning the travel arrangements, seeking authorization, and finalizing the arrangements. #travel #automation
